"If I'm not mistaken, you are Wen Tai's son, the Junior Pillar of State who went on the westward expedition, right?"
Wen Yong and Du Yu were both taken aback.
Seeing this, Ximen Fusu laughed and said, "Young Pillar of State is still so young. If he didn't care about his reputation like your cousin, he would just kill me. If I have something to say, then I won't say it."
"you!"
Du Yucheng stopped the impetuous young Wen Yong and said in a deep voice, "Prince Fusu, speak."
Ximen Fusu then placed the wine pot on his lap and said, "General, you have been stationed outside the northern border of Dayue for several days, but suddenly launched an attack on Fancheng. You must have received news of my father's serious illness and thought that my Dayue court would be thrown into chaos, so you wanted to take advantage of the situation."
"I never expected that I would come to Fancheng in person to oversee the battle and disrupt your plan to capture the city."
"Yesterday, the General launched a general offensive against Fancheng and risked his life to kill me, but was repelled by Zhou Chuan. Now, your troops' morale has collapsed and your army's spirit is unstable. It is not impossible to continue the attack on Fancheng, but you can imagine how great the cost will be."
Ximen Fusu raised his hand and continued, "To be honest, I have contacted the two countries of Abilei and Terentu, promising them great benefits to come and help them. They cannot help the Jinran Kingdom in the north, but helping the neighboring Great Yue Kingdom is not a problem."
"Even if the Supreme General can break through Fancheng, can he truly defeat our three-nation allied forces with unstoppable momentum? Even if my Great Yue is divided between Abileh and Terentu, your Western Jing will not gain anything. Moreover, with Zhou Chuan defending the city, your morale is low, and you may not even be able to take Fancheng."
"As long as you can't ultimately destroy my Great Yue Kingdom, does it matter whether you can take Fancheng or not? If you take action without authorization, you will be punished by Wen Hu in the end. It's better to stop now and preserve more of Xi Jing's fighting force."
"The general's withdrawal of troops and cessation of hostilities was, in fact, a self-preservation effort."
Du Yucheng asked, "You say you can help Xiao Zhuguo, so what does my withdrawal of troops have to do with Xiao Zhuguo?"
Ximen Fusu countered, "Does the Supreme General think that the Junior Pillar of State can destroy Jinran?"
"Of course!" Du Yucheng shouted, "Little Pillar of State is invincible!"
"I think so too."
Ximen Fusu gave an answer that surprised Du Yucheng. In Du Yucheng's mind, he believed that these Western Region countries were all in cahoots and did not think that Wen Hu would succeed.
Unexpectedly, Ximen Fusu agreed with his statement.
Ximen Fusu continued, "Since the Little Pillar State is determined to destroy Jinran, it will be a war to the death. After such a war, will the Little Pillar State still have the ability to continue south to attack my Great Yue? In other words, can Xijing's financial and material resources support the Little Pillar State to continue fighting?"
"If Xiaozhuguo destroys Jin and then continues to attack my Great Yue, Abilei and Terentu will surely feel the pain of losing their lips and teeth, and will unite with my Great Yue against a common enemy. Attacking my Great Yue is tantamount to attacking the three great kingdoms of the Western Regions."
"Of the four great powers in the Western Regions, Xijing struggled to even destroy Jinran, yet it still has the capacity to continue fighting against the three great powers of ours?"
"It is precisely because of this consideration that Xiaozhuguo dispatched two separate armies. One army swept across the small countries between Jinran and Dayue to form a defensive line to prevent the three major powers from aiding Jinran, while your army was stationed outside the northern border of Dayue to serve as a deterrent and supervisory force."
"Xiao Zhuguo made this arrangement because he was afraid that our three great powers would also participate in this war and affect his plan to destroy Jinran."
Ximen Fusu took a sip of wine and continued, "It's a pity that the General didn't understand Xiaozhuguo's intentions. Instead, he took the initiative to provoke Dayue. If you really let them invade Dayue and start a war with the three great kingdoms of the Western Regions, then even if Xiaozhuguo destroys Jinran, how will he end up?"
"Do we want you to withdraw your troops and then shamelessly apologize to us, or do we force ourselves to continue fighting us?"
boom!
A thunderbolt seemed to explode in Du Yucheng's mind, and he was suddenly awakened by Ximen Fusu's words.
Ximen Fusu smiled and said, "Now you understand why I said I was helping the Little Pillar of State, right?"
Du Yucheng remained silent, while Wen Yong beside him said sternly, "Do you think you can scare away my 100,000-strong army with just your words?"
Ximen Fusu rose, bowed to Wen Yong, and said, "Young Pillar, I said when I came that I asked you to withdraw your troops. You were not scared away, but as friendly neighbors, you were willing to help my Great Yue Kingdom. After I ascend the throne, I will definitely remember today's kindness and live in harmony with Xijing."
As he spoke, Ximen Fusu took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Wen Yong, saying, "This letter is written by me personally to the Junior Pillar State. Please keep it safe and pass it on for me."
Wen Yong asked, "What is it written?"
Ximen Fusu looked at Wen Yong, then at Du Yucheng, and said, "General, with this letter, the Junior Pillar of State will certainly not blame you for rashly launching an attack."
Wen Yong looked at Du Yucheng, waiting for him to make a decision.
After a long while, Du Yucheng turned around and said, "Young Pillar of State, please mount your horse."
"General..."
"Young Master, mount your horse. You led me here, and now it's my turn to lead you back."
Wen Yong grunted, gave Ximen Fusu a deep look, and then leaped onto his horse.
"Ximen Fusu, I'll remember you!"
Ximen Fusu watched the two leave and said, "I am deeply honored to have the Young Pillar of State remember me."
That night.
They urged Chengdu to withdraw its troops overnight and continue to station troops outside the northern border of Dayue.
early morning.
Ximen Fusu and Zhou Chuan stood on the city wall, looking at the small black dots in the distance.
Zhou Chuan tossed his long hair and exclaimed, "Brother Fusu, I was right about you. You are a man destined for great things."
Ximen Fusu did not respond, but instead took out a piece of white cloth and tied it to his forehead.
Zhou Chuan looked at Ximen Fusu with suspicion.
"To be honest, my father passed away three days ago."
Zhou Chuan exclaimed in surprise, "I'll go back with you!"
Ximen Fusu shook his head and said, "I have already made arrangements, and no one can stop me."
"Please accept my condolences," Zhou Chuan said with a soft sigh.
Ximen Fusu stepped back, bowed deeply to Zhou Chuan, and said, "Achuan, I hope your journey to the snow mountain goes smoothly."
Zhou Chuan looked towards the snow-capped mountains on the horizon and pondered for a while before saying, "I am going to the snow-capped mountains to go into seclusion. When I emerge from those mountains, I will come back to help you achieve your great cause."
Ximen Fusu asked, "Do you have anything else to say to me?"
Zhou Chuan said, "You love making friends, and you've gathered many talented people from all over the country. I believe these people have already stabilized the situation for you in the court. I am your open card, and they are your trump card."
"The power struggles and scheming in the imperial court are self-evident. But for a king to achieve hegemony, he must act with integrity. Brother Fusu, I hope you can cultivate them well. What you need now is not Yuan Xiu's Dragon Guard, but Zhao Huan's Dragon Spear Guard."
Ximen Fusu was moved and said, "I will remember what Achuan said today!"
"Brother Fusu, take care."
Zhou Chuan leaped off the city wall, his blue robe disappearing into the dawn.
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